Sizewell C has launched a new fleet of hydrogen buses to transport workers to and from the site in Leiston as part of a pilot scheme to test the technology.
Hydrogen buses do not produce any polluting emissions, so they provide an exciting, clean, quiet alternative to diesel travel.
For Sizewell C, they offer a great opportunity to limit the impact of construction traffic on the local community and the local environment.
“Using buses means we can reduce the amount of worker’s cars on the road. But we wanted to go further than that.
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“We decided that we wanted to phase out diesel buses, and that we should explore the cleanest technology that would work for our project – that’s where hydrogen comes in.”
Sizewell C has acquired three hydrogen double-decker buses and one single-decker bus for its trial.
The buses are made by UK company Wrightbus, who developed the world’s first hydrogen double-decker.
“People will likely see the buses, with Sizewell C livery, out on the roads,” said Jack. “The first thing people might notice is that they are quieter – they’re about as quiet as electric vehicles.
“They’ll also notice that there are no fumes coming out the back, which – given the clear link between air quality and public health – is a huge benefit.”
“This could be an important step in helping zero emissions public transport come to Suffolk,” said Jack.
“If we can demonstrate that hydrogen works here, it could help drive hydrogen production in this area, kickstart a hydrogen economy in the region, and accelerate transport decarbonisation in Suffolk. And that could mean more clean jobs and training opportunities in the area to support this new technology.
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“As part of our work with local further education colleges in Suffolk, we are investing in a driver and logistics academy at Suffolk New College. This will help to qualify new drivers and apprentices to meet our skills demand and support hydrogen and EV related skillsets in the future.”
At the end of the Sizewell C construction, some of the buses still will not have reached the end of their operational life, which also opens up the potential for a local secondhand hydrogen market.
“Electric buses are also very much part of our zero emissions plan,” Jack said. “We’ve had some analysis done on the kind of technology we need for each route, which will bring workers to and from the site here.
“That means we could have a mixed fleet, with hydrogen and electric buses both working together, transporting workers with zero emissions.”
Sizewell C aims to kickstart new net-zero technologies during the construction of the 3.2GW nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast.
The project is also developing a direct air capture prototype at the Port of Lowestoft which, when scaled up, could capture 1.5m tonnes of CO2 each year – equivalent to the emissions produced by the entire UK rail industry.
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“We want to show how infrastructure can be done differently with Sizewell C,” said Jack. “The power station itself will provide low-carbon electricity to six million homes for at least 60 years and save nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually.
“But by developing technologies like hydrogen and DAC, we have an opportunity to make even more of a contribution to fighting climate change and creating cleaner, healthier communities.”
For more information, visit sizewellc.com
This article is part of the EADT's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.
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